Bath mat



Jan. 6, 1942. I R, s, GAUGLER 2,268,747

BATH MAT Filed Julie 22, 1940 7 INVENTOR.

BY QfififlWT-TORNEY.

Patented J an. 6, 1942 UNITED STATES- PATENT; ,o -F cE i 1 '2',2'68,747'U. I ff BA'rn MAT Ream Gangler, b en, omt- I Application June 22, 1940, SerialNo. 341,971

.zolaieis. (opt-"485) My invention relates to bath mats and has for its primary object the provision of: air-improved mat designed to prevent the partner from 'slipping on the finelyifinished and wet surfaces of the tub or shower to thereby lessen the possibility of injury resulting from such an occurrence.

vIncident to this primary object of my (invention are numerous more" specific objects, the

attainment of which allrnaterially contribute to the achievement of the primary object. Among these'mo'r specific objects' are thefollowing:

1. The provision of a mat composed substantially of a porous textile fabric carried upon and extending across a peripheral loop formed of a flexible material heavier than water.

2. The provision of a mat wherein the peripheral loop supporting the porous fabric material is formed of a flexible material, for example, a wire spring, whereby during use, the mat is held in shape by spring tension and when not in use,

may be twisted and folded upon itself once or twice to form a small, compact package capable of being inserted into a small sack for convenience in handling.

3. The provision of a mat wherein the coefficient of friction of the porous flexible material or fabric carried by the peripheral loop increases as the weight thereon increases to thereby prevent slipping of the bather and wherein the character of the material is such that it may be supported from the side walls of the tub or shower when not in actual use.

Other more specificobjects will be apparent from the following description andclaimstaken in connection with the following drawing where- Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of, my improved mat;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 showing the ends of the spring joined to form a loop;

- rest on the bottom of the tub or shower.

. III, is secured to the loop 10 by means of the trim strip I4 extendingco'ntinuously around the periphery of the sheet l3 and. folded about the" loop H) and having its ends stitched to the sheet l3 and to each other as "shown at 15." In this manner, the wire loop is concealed within the fold of the trim strip which isflikewise', made of a porous material. I

As a modification, I have shown in Figs. 5 and 6 a sheet folded upon itself with its edges stitched to form a sack I3 much the same as a pillow case. An opening I 6 through which the wire loop It may be inserted or removed, may be closed by the flap l1.

The wire spring I l forming the peripheral loop on which the sheets I3 and/or l3 are carried, is heavier than water, thereby causing the mat to Further, its tension tends to hold the sheets [3 or l3 stretched into their natural shape. The loop is,;likewise, flexible and as a result, the mat may be twisted and folded upon itself as shown in- Fig. 4. This characteristic of the loop is important in that by reason of this property as shown in Fig. 4, the loop may be twisted upon itself into the shape of the numeral 8 and then bent upon itself with the edges l8 and I8 adjacent each other to form two similar loops half the size of the original loop, and this twisting and bending may be repeated as desired to form a very small compact package. The. mat in its folded form may be inserted into a small sack and sold in such a manner, and if desired may be washed and cleaned while in the small fabric sack. This characteristic of the loop facilitates the handling of the mat both during the original sale and during any washing operation that may be desirable. In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the flap I! may be opened and the spring H removed therethrough from the sack or double sheet l3. e The textile fabric material'used may be ordinary cotton fabric, for example, duck cloth, similar to that now used in curtains for showers. Preferably, the material is porous to allow the passage of water therethrough, and it may be either of the'close or loose woven type. Preferably, it is of the type wherein the coefiicient of friction increases 'as the weight thereon in creases, so that the greater the weight supported in Figs. 5 and 6, the spring loop may be easily removed if desired and the folded sheet or sack may be washed as any ordinary article.

In both forms of, my invention, the tension of the spring tends to hold the mat in its flat extended form.

Further, the mat is extremely efiicient inoperation. It may be easily moved about the tub, provided only a light force is applied thereto, whereas it is almost impossible to move if a -heavy force is applied to press the fabric firmly against the surface of the tub or shower. This is probably due to the fact that a heavy force or weight tends to squeeze the Water from beneath the mat, thereby causing the mat to contact directly with the tub or shower surface. It is this film of water which generally permits the ordinary mat to slip and conversely the absence of such a film prevents slipping.

After use, and while the mat is still wet, it may be placed on the side wall of the tub or shower and it will adhere thereto, even after it has dried out.

While my invention has been shown in two specific modifications, it should be understood that changes therein may be made within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A bath mat comprising a peripheral loop formed of a spring-like material flexible throughout its length and foldable and twistable upon itself to form irregular shapes, a single sheet of porous and flexible textile material substantially covering the space bounded by said loop, and a trim strip formed of a textile fabric folded about said loop throughout the length thereof and having its ends stitched to said sheet and to each other.

2. A bath mat comprising a peripheral loop formed of a spring-like'material flexible throughout its length and foldable and twistable upon itself to form irregular shapes, a single sheet of porous and flexible textile material substantially covering the space bounded by said loop and secured at its pen'phery to said loop substantially throughout the length of said loop, said mat, due to the flexibility of said loop and said textile material, being foldable and twistable to form a small compact package.

RICHARD S. GAUGLER. 

